New Jersey registration of 12' Aluminum Boat

[twocyclemania]

I have a chance to pick up a 12' aluminum boat from someone who has owned it for over 10 years. They have been using it on a private lake (without a motor) and never registered it.Prior to that it was registered by the previous owner, issued a boat number and registration. How can I get this boat transferred to me and registered for use (with a motor). In NJ boats of 12' or less do not have titles but are required to be registered if used with a motor. The old existing boat registration number would still be used (required) however the information regarding that owner is long gone and Motor Vehicles will not divulge it. Can I register it with a receipt from the current owner who has never registered it? Anyone with any experience with this?? thanks

 

[loose rivet]

Re: New Jersey registration of 12' Aluminum Boat

The current owner may have to state in the notarized bill of sale that he's owned the boat for x many years and never registered it.

I have a 12' Grumman boat that I bought new in 1979, I owned it since new but never registered it, it was bought at a sporting goods store back then, my only receipt was a register slip, which the DMV here won't accept. They wanted me to run an ad in the paper with the hull description and HIN stating that I was 'claiming ownership' of said boat, and that any interested parties need to step forward.
To me that's the equivalent of holding up a $100 bill in a crowd and saying who's is this?

I finally just got a buddy to write me a bill of sale and got it notarized saying he sold me the boat and never had it registered. They took that. Its a screwed up system here. More screwed up if the boat is over 14'.
(Boats over 14' need a title, but titles weren't mandatory until 1987, if you owned an old boat from new, but never used it or got a title for it then, its all but impossible to do so now).